Well my test will have to wait.I've decided, that with all the feedback i've seen in a variety of areas including some who have attempted at least a partly controlled blind test of sorts, as well as those who i just trust to attempt an objective assessment over the faith filled rantings of enthusiasts, that this Venturi thing is worth buying to test out, if not at least for its entertainment value during a wine evening.

As such, i'm going to buy it for a fellow oenophile, a friend that normally swaps presents with us at xmas. I will pick one up sometime this year and later this fall, possibly even for fun at New Year's, it will get tested, thoroughly.I'm very much looking forward [bias] to having a glass of wine opened up by this little gadget, increased in its aeration in decreased time thus providing for a different if not better enjoyment of the wine [bias].

IF my neighbor across the street comes out to chat again around spring time, i will see about procuring his Vinturi sooner to give the tests a go and then hopefully vindicate my present idea about buying it as a gift.

Again i very much look forward to this blind test.

The basic structure to begin with is as follows:glass of freshglass of venturi from the fresh bottleglass of aged in decanter 2hglass of blanks (e.g., one person may have all 3 glasses of the same type, all people tasting will not know what combination, if any, of these forms they will receive and as such, could look like complete fools describing a glass of something that is identical to the other two).The major difficulty?If we don't spit, the tasters will be inebriated sufficiently by round three and tasting nothing but 'some kind of wine'.

Edited by chesseroo (02/23/0812:19 AM)

_________________________"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."

ChessThanks for the link pretty much reiterates what we've been saying. I bookmarked the site, it has some good reading.

Well the 'tests' some of those people have tried have still been uncontrolled to the extent that those tasting the wines KNOW the glasses are different. That is a key element to eliminate to control one's bias.

The fact that mdrew and folk knew the glasses were different BUT consistently (if he can confirm that again) picked out the Venturi glasses each time lends credibility to the concept. However, removing that aspect entirely will make the assessment a bit more objective and much harder to doubt or alternatively, easier to believe (depending on how one defines their null hypothesis). I am still inclined [bias] at this point to believe there will be a difference after reading through some of the things people have tried with this Venturi. Unlike some audio myths, the principle of chemistry involved with wine aeration has a valid science basis for why a difference could be achieved using the Venturi, so again, there is credibility behind the idea beyond the subjective reports. That doesn't mean all science principles can explain all these gadgets with credibility though.

A friend of mine has a magnetic wine coaster that reportedly aged the wine a year or a day for every hour it sat on this coaster. My friend believed it really worked. The concept of magnetic effects on any chemical matter could be shown at some level, but i really believe this concept far less provable or affecting than aeration through a substance. We can test the idea with the same, simple blind run at the wines.In a blind taste test at his house (same wine, two bottles, one sat on the coaster the other opened fresh after two hours of waiting), he couldn't tell the difference and didn't understand why he could tell a difference after he first got the thing. He figured the magnet was losing strength.No, i don't think so, but i guarantee i could find at least one wine forum out there somewhere that people have been chatting up this little gadget as much as the Venturi.

I'm just one to doubt a purely subjective opinion about anything that is related back to science principles. I prefer to see more objective evaluations which is why that chatter in wine forums really means little. Myths can be propagated easily so that gadgets can be marketed and sold successfully.I think this Venturi may actually be a gadget that at least does something more substantial than say a magnet coaster AND i LOVE the idea that it does!What a great thing to possibly be able to take a nasty wine, filter it for a few seconds with air and possibly change its character to something more palatable. IF NOT, toss the wine, but at least it MIGHT be able to improve it.

_________________________"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."